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Borsalino

Borsalino

Movie · 1970 · 3 people

A story of two friends, Borsalino blends crime and drama in a French-Italian gangster film from 1970 directed by Jacques Deray. It is known for putting Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, two of French cinema's biggest stars, on one poster for the first time. In France it drew 4,710,381 viewers and finished fourth at the box office, and it was selected for the 20th Berlin Film Festival.

The story follows two young troublemakers aiming to rule the Marseille underworld and is adapted from Eugène Saccomano's novel Bandits à Marseille. The pair draw on the real gangsters Paul Carbone and François Spirito, who collaborated with Nazi Germany during the occupation of France, which the film never mentions. Catherine Rouvel stars alongside Delon and Belmondo, and the cast also has Michel Bouquet, Mireille Darc, Françoise Christophe, Arnoldo Foà, Nicole Calfan and Julien Guiomar.

The screenplay is by Jean-Claude Carrière, Jean Cau and Deray, and the production company is Adel Productions. Shooting took place in Marseille in the autumn of 1969. Claude Bolling's score was widely admired on release. The title comes from the Italian hat maker Borsalino: Delon proposed it, and the company agreed on condition that its logo appeared on the poster. In 2009 Empire magazine ranked it No. 19 in a poll of gangster movies you have probably never seen. The 1974 sequel Borsalino & Co., with Delon alone, did less well.

DirectorJacques Deray
Production companyAdel Productions

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Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Belmondo Film actor · died at 88 François Capella Claude Cerval Claude Cerval Actor · died at 51 Henri Attal Henri Attal Actor · died at 67 Cashier of the Circle

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Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo on the same poster, two troublemakers bidding to run the Marseille underworld: the set-up is irresistible from the start. The gangster story stays lively on the sparring between two big screen personalities, and Claude Bolling's score keeps the energy up. If you are used to today's pace, 125 minutes can feel slow in places, because the film is built more on friendship and ambition than on action. Still a solid pick for anyone who loves classic gangster cinema.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Borsalino tells of two young troublemakers rising through the Marseille underworld, and it draws on the real gangsters Paul Carbone and François Spirito. Those two collaborated with Nazi Germany during the occupation of France, a subject the film never touches. That silence is an instructive example of how a narrative that romanticises crime edits history. Marseille remains a striking backdrop while the social background fades away. It can be enjoyed as a story of friendship and ambition, but you should not expect a historical portrait. The film says more about the gangster nostalgia of the years it was made in than about the past itself.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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